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OPINION

Four steps to creating affordable housing in Nashville

Floyd Shechter | Opinion
Published 10:00 a.m. CT Dec. 28, 2017

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For the past 11 months, photographer George Walker IV, and Opinion Engagement Editor David Plazas — with support and guidance from The Tennessean team — have told the story about the growing gap between prosperity and inequality in this booming city.

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A house along South Street stands next to new construction in the Edgehill neighborhood Jan. 18, 2017.(Photo: George Walker IV / The Tennessean)Buy Photo

Story Highlights

We need to dedicate funding, preserve neighborhoods, create accountability and make a commitment.

Here are some proposed next steps on housing affordability in Nashville.

1. Dedicated Funding

Allocate an amount equal to 15 percent of all funding being directed in the transit referendum to the Barnes Fund to provide housing options that are affordable for all. This could generate up to $775 million over time. Limit the use of tax increment financing (TIF) in transit-oriented development districts solely to the production of workforce and affordable housing units in equal proportion.

Community Land Trust: Purchase lots/parcels in neighborhoods of economic opportunity and hold land forever. Affordable housing built on the land and the homes can be rented at affordable prices or sold in the future at affordable price points.

Municipal Land Bank: Metro will maintain and publish, on a regular basis, a transparent list of all real property assets it owns to be held for sale or redevelopment. All property disposed of will be offered for public sale or in grants limited to builders/developers for the purpose of creating affordable and workforce housing.

Moderate Density Land Use Policy: Enact policy that ensures transitional zoning between high-density apartment developments along the transit corridors and traditional single-family neighborhoods.

3. Accountability

Publish a quarterly scorecard on how many affordable housing and workforce units were removed, how many were built and how many certificates of occupancy were issued.

12South: This neighborhood south of downtown Nashville has emerged as a culinary hot spot with more than a dozen restaurants, including the Burger Up here May 20, 2010. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

12South: The 12South and Melrose districts are booming, and a lot of the growth is from people who are moving back into the cities from the suburbs. Hunter Yeager, here Dec. 20, 2010, bought into the neighborhood after living in Williamson County. John Partipilo / The Tennessean

Antioch: Former Army Officer Jackie Munn cuts a piece of siding as she works with The Mission Continues and Habitat for Humanity on several homes in Antioch on Nov. 1, 2015. Samuel M. Simpkins / The Tennessean

Antioch: At the Cottages at Mt. View in Antioch, every home is for lease, here Sept. 17, 2017. There are currently 205 houses, and an additional 48 are expected to be finished by the end of the year. Alan Poizner / For The Tennessea

Belle Meade: Belle Meade Court condo owner Antoinette Licalsi bought her condo as an investment but will use it as her retirement condo very soon as she stands by the condo pool area Sept. 25, 2012. Sanford Myers / The Tennessean

Bordeaux: The drawbridge, a 1903 structure here near downtown Nashville, uses a gear mechanism in the river's center to turn its span so high cabin towboats using the Cumberland River can pass. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

Donelson: A rainy spring and summer have provided a surge in fruits and vegetables being brought to area farmers markets, such as this one in Donelson on July 26, 2013. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

Members of the Nashville Swing Dance Foundation perform during a previousTomato Art Festival at Historic East Nashville's Five Points. The Tomato Art Festival features a parade, a costume contest, games and live music. Jae S. Lee / The Tennessean

East Nashville: First Baptist Church East Nashville, here July 16, 2017, is in a time of transition because the neighborhood has changed. Next door is a high-rise apartment building, and behind is Section 8 housing. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

East Nashville: Construction crews work on a pair of homes in East Nashville on Sept. 21, 2017. Two "tall skinny" homes can be built on one lot when they are 6 feet apart, among other conditions. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Germantown: Elmer Denvel Irwin sits outside his East Nashville establishment, Santa's Pub, on Dec. 16, 2015. Santa's Pub was built from an old train caboose and shipping containers. Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean

Hillsboro-Belmont: H.G. Hill Realty Co. is redeveloping the property at 21st Avenue South and Acklen Avenue in Hillsboro Village, here April 30, 2013, to make way for the Hill Center Acklen, an apartment and retail complex. Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean

Hillsboro-Belmont: A name of the new building is unveiled on the Belmont University campus Aug. 22, 2015. The R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center is the new home for the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. Jae S. Lee / The Tennessean

Hillsboro-Belmont: Nashville artist Andee Rudloff finishes a new coat of paint on the dragon mural in Hillsboro Village on Nov. 4, 2015. The mural was first painted 20 years ago as a directional marker to Dragon Park. Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Madison: The new Madison Precinct building and crime lab was named for Officer Paul Scurry, who was killed in the line of duty in 1996. It officially opened on Jan. 14, 2014. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

Madison: Brian Oxley stands next to the outside gate of the former home of Elvis Presley's manager Col. Tom Parker on Feb. 1, 2017, in Madison. The home was sold and developers are planning to build a car wash in its place. Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean

Midtown: Audrey McKnight, left, and Lindsey McKnight swap out the breakfast pastries for the all-day pastries June 19, 2017, at Caviar & Bananas, a new gourmet cafe and market. Josie Norris / The Tennessean

South Nashville: Businesses prosper along Nolensville Road, here May 24, 2017. Ethiopian restaurants, trendy cafes, auto repair shops, Mexican taquerias, a Kurdish mosque and the Nashville Zoo are all part of the area, which has been affordable for business owners and residents for years. George Walker IV / The Tennessean

West Nashville: Businesses along the north side of Charlotte Pike, between about 47th Avenue North and 51st Avenue North, here Feb. 11, 2008, will take part in the creating of a detailed neighborhood design plan by Metro Planning. The plan will enhance the Charlotte Avenue and Richland Park corridor. Billy Kingsley / The Tennessean

These seven proposed districts contain approximately 10 square miles of land out of the 567 square miles of land in Davidson County.

Absent are TODDs that extend south and west in Davidson County along Edmundson Pike, Franklin Pike, Hillsboro Pike and Harding Pike. These four arterial roads provide access to the highest-income zip codes in Davidson County.

Nashville can be a light unto the nations. We can honor the legacy of the Rev. Bill Barnes. We must make the hard decisions now to build the future of Nashville together, especially for the children living in poverty.

Freddie O'Connell, left, Metro councilman, District 19, reacts as Floyd Shechter, right, president and CEO of Smart Space, speaks during the "Costs of Growth and Change in Nashville" event at the Nashville Public Library in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017.(Photo: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean)